Currently, the respiratory tract infection (RTI) is still one of the most common disease that seriously threatens children′s life and health. Timely detection of pathogens in clinical specimens of children with RTI is helpful to accurate diagnosis and reduce the irrational usage of antibiotics. It is also an important strategy to achieve the best clinical management of RTI in children. In recent years, in addition to the traditional staining and microscopy, culture and antigen detection, the polymerase chain reaction, syndromic approach testing and metagenomic next-generation sequencing have also been used for the diagnosis of pathogens in children with RTI, showing a good application prospect. This review aims to systematically summarize the classification of clinical specimens and the detection methods of common pathogens in the diagnosis process of childhood respiratory infections. This not only expands the understanding of pediatric medicine, but also provides more enlightenment for related research work.

Respiratory tract infection; Microbiological techniques; Child; Clinical syndrome; Metagenomic next-generation sequencing